𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, Robby Keene

S03:E10

•~3rd person P.O.V~•
"Robby-"

"Remember when I mentioned that date I wanted to take you on? How about we go on one now?" Ellie wasn't opposed to the idea but the sudden, obviously unplanned, suggestion lead her to think something else was going on.

"Well I'd love to but," Ellie paused as Robby climbed into the driver's seat of her car, "um, you can't drive." Robby chuckled, despite her confused state she still climbed into the passenger seat.

"I know how to drive, I just don't have a license." Ellie raised an eyebrow, still unsure if she should let him drive. "I'm legally not allowed to drive, but I'm a great driver. Trust me." Ellie sucked in a deep breath before nodding. At least she had insurance, just in case.

"Why the sudden suggestion?" Ellie asked. Robby wasn't actually that bad at driving, he drove like a law-abiding citizen who had their license.

"I dunno, you deserve a proper date." Ellie felt her face warm quickly. Nobody Ellie had ever been with prioritized her as Robby did. They'd only ever been interested in having sex with her, and after she figured that out, she broke up with them. But Robby really liked her, and he was really interested in her.

"So, where are we going then?" Robby smiled, shaking his head.

"You'll know when we get there."

~

"I know half as much about you than you know about me," Robby admitted. Robby had taken the two to some fancy restaurant, he didn't tell Ellie that he'd stolen some money from the zoo's cash register to afford it but she didn't seem to question it. "Tell me more." Ellie took a sip of her drink, as she thought about what to tell him.

"I don't know what to tell you." Ellie chuckled. She thought herself to be a pretty boring person, what was there to tell?

"When I got out of juvie, you said your stepdad was at work." Ellie nodded, she remembered saying that. "You never mentioned a dad at all." Ellie chewed on the inside of her cheek as she looked down at her plate of food.

"Well, my step dad's name is Aaron Lanely. He and my mom got married when I was like ten...um he works at a computer manufacturing company and he doesn't really talk to me or Eli." Robby's eyes softened slightly, he thought most stepparents tried to suck up to the kids. That's what his mom's boyfriends tended to do.

"What about your biological dad?" Ellie wished he wouldn't have asked, about either of them.

"Well, my biological dad's name is Ethan Moskowitz. He and my mom thought it'd be cute for me and Eli to have a name starting with an e like him. Anyway, he's a surgeon. He was um abusive to me, Eli, and my mom. My mom divorced him when I was nine because he beat me so badly that I blacked out. I haven't seen him since." Suddenly, Ellie's passive behaviors seemed to make sense. "That's why I was so hesitant to start doing karate. I never wanted to hurt someone like my dad hurt me, I didn't want to be any more like him than my mom already thinks." Ellie chuckled awkwardly, brushing her hair behind her ears.

"Your...your mom says you're like your dad?" Robby asked, his voice laced with concern and disbelief. Ellie drew circles on the tablecloth. She knew she'd get that reaction if she told anyone that information, but it was still slightly embarrassing.

"Sometimes." She mumbled, and Robby couldn't help but feel bad. He thought it explained a lot of Ellie's behaviors and a lot of Hawk's behaviors. They'd both been victims of abuse, one became someone who was likely to be abused and the other became the abuser.

"That explains Hawk." Ellie wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but she let it slide.

"My mom doesn't think Eli's anything like my Dad, he's a perfect little angel to my mom." Robby scoffed, a small laugh following.

"You're kidding me, right? After everything he's done, he sounds more like your dad than anything." Ellie's eyes squeezed shut. Despite being mad at Eli, she didn't like that Robby said he was like their dad because he wasn't. He acted the way he did because of their dad.

"I know you're trying to make me feel better, but please don't say that. I know you hate him, but he's still my brother." Ellie muttered, almost feeling bad for asking him not to speak badly of Eli.

"I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have said that," Robby admitted. Although he hated Hawk, he didn't want to upset Ellie. "And we don't have to talk about either of your dad's if you don't want to," Robby added, his voice soft and caring.

"Thank you, Robby."

~

Ellie dropped Robby off at a hotel that night, before driving herself back home. She enjoyed their date, and she was glad she'd finally opened up to Robby about her dad. She put her keys on a small shelf next to the front door.

"Eloise Moskowitz!" She cringed, hearing her mom's booming voice sound through the entire house. Trailing behind her was Eli, his face slightly bloodied and his eyes filled with increasing worry. "Where the hell have you been?!" She yelled, Ellie's eyes attached to the corner of the room. She hated looking her mom in the eyes while she yelled at her, it made her closer to crying than if she didn't look at her.

"I was-"

"You just left your brother to fend for himself!" Hawk looked at Ellie and then at his mom. He was just telling his mom what happened, and every time she always found a way to blame everything on Ellie. He should've figured out by now that he should've kept his mouth shut.

"I didn't-"

"Eloise, look at me!" Her mom moved her cheek, trying to get her to look at her but Ellie refused. It didn't matter how many times her mom moved her face, her eyes stayed in the same place.

"I didn't know-"

"Eloise, you're really pissing me off. Look at me!" Her mom gripped her chin, and Ellie's eyes immediately grew wide as her heart pumped in her throat. Her father had done the exact same thing before he'd beaten her half to death. Something flipped inside of Ellie at that moment, she grabbed her mom's wrist and pushed her away, a loud gasp sounding from her mom's lips. Ellie had never stood up to her, and it was embarrassing to admit that her mom was surprised that she did.

"Stop! Stop, just stop!" Ellie shouted, Aaron came done the steps as he heard a commotion. "I didn't know there was a fucking fight, I was with Robby, and Eli isn't my responsibility! He's my brother, not my kid! It's not my fault he got hurt, he probably started the fight so before you start yelling at me ask him more questions!" Ellie's chest heaved, her breathing had slowed while she yelled, just so she could get all that she needed to say out.

"Robby? You mean Robby Keene?! Didn't I tell you-"

"Oh my god, shut up! He's my boyfriend, I don't care what you or Eli or anyone thinks about him! I'm not giving him up for Eli, I've given up enough and you know it! I'm done with the stupid fucking deals. If Eli wants or needs my help, which I doubt he will, he'll ask me!" Ellie shouted and then stomped up the stairs.

She wished she hadn't cussed so much at her mom, but she couldn't help but be proud of herself. She'd finally stood up to the biggest bully in her life. It was sad that her mom was a bully in her life, but all she could do was stand up for herself. She understood that now.
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A/n: 1-end of season 3🥳 and 2-I'M SO PROUD OF ELLIE OMG
Word Count:1,346